577 research outputs found
Cellular Automaton Study of Time-Dynamics of Avalanche Breakdown in IMPATT Diodes
Employing a recently developed efficient cellular automaton technique for solving
Boltzmann's transport equation for realistic devices, we present a detailed study of the
carrier dynamics in GaAs avalanche p-i-n (IMPATT) diodes. We find that the impact
ionization in reverse bias p-i-n diodes with ultrathin (less than 50 nm) intrinsic regions is
triggered by Zener tunneling rather than by thermal generation. The impact generation
of hot carriers occurs mainly in the low-field junction regions rather than in the high
field intrinsic zone. The calculations predict significantly more minority carriers on the
n-side than on the p-side
Secondary and primary metabolites reveal putative resistance-associated biomarkers against Erysiphe necator in resistant grapevine genotypes
Numerous fungicide applications are required to control Erysiphe necator, the causative agent of powdery mildew. This increased demand for cultivars with strong and long-lasting field resistance to diseases and pests. In comparison to the susceptible cultivar âTeroldegoâ, the current study provides information on some promising disease-resistant varieties (mono-locus) carrying one E. necator-resistant locus: BC4 and âKishmish vatkanaâ, as well as resistant genotypes carrying several E. necator resistant loci (pyramided): âBiancaâ, F26P92, F13P71, and NY42. A clear picture of the metabolitesâ alterations in response to the pathogen is shown by profiling the main and secondary metabolism: primary compounds and lipids; volatile organic compounds and phenolic compounds at 0, 12, and 48 hours after pathogen inoculation. We identified several compounds whose metabolic modulation indicated that resistant plants initiate defense upon pathogen inoculation, which, while similar to the susceptible genotype in some cases, did not imply that the plants were not resistant, but rather that their resistance was modulated at different percentages of metabolite accumulation and with different effect sizes. As a result, we discovered ten up-accumulated metabolites that distinguished resistant from susceptible varieties in response to powdery mildew inoculation, three of which have already been proposed as resistance biomarkers due to their role in activating the plant defense response
Semi-Targeted Profiling of the Lipidome Changes Induced by Erysiphe Necator in Disease-Resistant and Vitis vinifera L. Varieties
The ascomycete Erysiphe necator is a serious pathogen in viticulture. Despite the fact that some grapevine genotypes exhibit mono-locus or pyramided resistance to this fungus, the lipidomics basis of these genotypesâ defense mechanisms remains unknown. Lipid molecules have critical functions in plant defenses, acting as structural barriers in the cell wall that limit pathogen access or as signaling molecules after stress responses that may regulate innate plant immunity. To unravel and better understand their involvement in plant defense, we used a novel approach of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC)-MS/MS to study how E. necator infection changes the lipid profile of genotypes with different sources of resistance, including BC4 (Run1), âKishmish vatkhanaâ (Ren1), F26P92 (Ren3; Ren9), and âTeroldegoâ (a susceptible genotype), at 0, 24, and 48 hpi. The lipidome alterations were most visible at 24 hpi for BC4 and F26P92, and at 48 hpi for âKishmish vatkhanaâ. Among the most abundant lipids in grapevine leaves were the extra-plastidial lipids: glycerophosphocholine (PCs), glycerophosphoethanolamine (PEs) and the signaling lipids: glycerophosphates (Pas) and glycerophosphoinositols (PIs), followed by the plastid lipids: glycerophosphoglycerols (PGs), monogalactosyldiacylglycerols (MGDGs), and digalactosyldiacylglycerols (DGDGs) and, in lower amounts lyso-glycerophosphocholines (LPCs), lyso-glycerophosphoglycerols (LPGs), lyso-glycerophosphoinositols (LPIs), and lyso-glycerophosphoethanolamine (LPEs). Furthermore, the three resistant genotypes had the most prevalent down-accumulated lipid classes, while the susceptible genotype had the most prevalent up-accumulated lipid classes
Accurate calculation of polarization-related quantities in semiconductors
We demonstrate that polarization-related quantities in semiconductors can be
predicted accurately from first-principles calculations using the appropriate
approach to the problem, the Berry-phase polarization theory. For III-V
nitrides, our test case, we find polarizations, polarization differences
between nitride pairs, and piezoelectric constants quite close to their
previously established values. Refined data are nevertheless provided for all
the relevant quantities.Comment: RevTeX 4 pages, no figure
Insights from a Murine Aortic Transplantation Model
Transplant vasculopathy (TV) represents a major obstacle to long-term graft
survival and correlates with severity of ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI).
Donor administration of the nitric oxide synthases (NOS) co-factor
tetrahydrobiopterin has been shown to prevent IRI. Herein, we analysed whether
tetrahydrobiopterin is also involved in TV development. Using a fully
allogeneic mismatched (BALB/c to C57BL/6) murine aortic transplantation model
grafts subjected to long cold ischemia time developed severe TV with intimal
hyperplasia (α-smooth muscle actin positive cells in the neointima) and
endothelial activation (increased P-selectin expression). Donor pretreatment
with tetrahydrobiopterin significantly minimised these changes resulting in
only marginal TV development. Severe TV observed in the non-treated group was
associated with increased protein oxidation and increased occurrence of
endothelial NOS monomers in the aortic grafts already during graft
procurement. Tetrahydrobiopterin supplementation of the donor prevented all
these early oxidative changes in the graft. Non-treated allogeneic grafts
without cold ischemia time and syngeneic grafts did not develop any TV. We
identified early protein oxidation and impaired endothelial NOS homodimer
formation as plausible mechanistic explanation for the crucial role of IRI in
triggering TV in transplanted aortic grafts. Therefore, targeting endothelial
NOS in the donor represents a promising strategy to minimise TV
Effects of macroscopic polarization in III-V nitride multi-quantum-wells
Huge built-in electric fields have been predicted to exist in wurtzite III-V
nitrides thin films and multilayers. Such fields originate from heterointerface
discontinuities of the macroscopic bulk polarization of the nitrides. Here we
discuss the background theory, the role of spontaneous polarization in this
context, and the practical implications of built-in polarization fields in
nitride nanostructures. To support our arguments, we present detailed
self-consistent tight-binding simulations of typical nitride QW structures in
which polarization effects are dominant.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, uses revtex/epsf. submitted to PR
The effect of right temporal lobe gliomas on left and right hemisphere neural processing during speech perception and production tasks
Using fMRI, we investigated how right temporal lobe gliomas affecting the posterior superior temporal sulcus alter neural processing observed during speech perception and production tasks. Behavioural language testing showed that three pre-operative neurosurgical patients with grade 2, grade 3 or grade 4 tumours had the same pattern of mild language impairment in the domains of object naming and written word comprehension. When matching heard words for semantic relatedness (a speech perception task), these patients showed under-activation in the tumour infiltrated right superior temporal lobe compared to 61 neurotypical participants and 16 patients with tumours that preserved the right postero-superior temporal lobe, with enhanced activation within the (tumour-free) contralateral left superior temporal lobe. In contrast, when correctly naming objects (a speech production task), the patients with right postero-superior temporal lobe tumours showed higher activation than both control groups in the same right postero-superior temporal lobe region that was under-activated during auditory semantic matching. The task dependent pattern of under-activation during the auditory speech task and over-activation during object naming was also observed in eight stroke patients with right hemisphere infarcts that affected the right postero-superior temporal lobe compared to eight stroke patients with right hemisphere infarcts that spared it. These task-specific and site-specific cross-pathology effects highlight the importance of the right temporal lobe for language processing and motivate further study of how right temporal lobe tumours affect language performance and neural reorganisation. These findings may have important implications for surgical management of these patients, as knowledge of the regions showing functional reorganisation may help to avoid their inadvertent damage during neurosurgery
Tropical air-sea interaction in general circulation models
An intercomparison is undertaken of the tropical behavior of 17 coupled ocean-atmosphere models in which at least one component may be termed a general circulation model (GCM). The aim is to provide a taxonomyâa description and rough classificationâof behavior across the ensemble of models, focusing on interannual variability. The temporal behavior of the sea surface temperature (SST) field along the equator is presented for each model, SST being chosen as the primary variable for intercomparison due to its crucial role in mediating the coupling and because it is a sensitive indicator of climate drift. A wide variety of possible types of behavior are noted among the models. Models with substantial interannual tropical variability may be roughly classified into cases with propagating SST anomalies and cases in which the SST anomalies develop in place. A number of the models also exhibit significant drift with respect to SST climatology. However, there is not a clear relationship between climate drift and the presence or absence of interannual oscillations. In several cases, the mode of climate drift within the tropical Pacific appears to involve coupled feedback mechanisms similar to those responsible for El Niño variability. Implications for coupled-model development and for climate prediction on seasonal to interannual time scales are discussed. Overall, the results indicate considerable sensitivity of the tropical coupled ocean-atmosphere system and suggest that the simulation of the warm-pool/cold-tongue configuration in the equatorial Pacific represents a challenging test for climate model parameterizations
Photosynthetic adaptation and acclimation to exploit seasonal periods of direct irradiance in three temperate, deciduous-forest herbs
1. âWe evaluated the potential for three species of deciduous-forest herbs to exploit seasonal periods of direct irradiance. In particular, we investigated the importance of photosynthetic acclimation as a mechanism for shade-tolerant herbs to utilize direct light reaching the forest floor before canopy expansion in the spring and after canopy leaf drop in the autumn. 2. âWe measured the photosynthetic and growth characteristics of three co-occurring herbs of a northern hardwood forest: the spring ephemeral Allium tricoccum Ait., the summer-green Viola pubescens Ait., and the semi-evergreen Tiarella cordifolia L. 3. âLeaf CO 2 exchange, leaf mass per area, and leaf biochemistry differed among species and seasonally within species to match the changing light environment below the forest canopy. From spring to summer, as irradiance dropped with the expansion of the overstorey canopy, Viola leaves exhibited reduction of both photosynthetic capacity and light compensation point. Weaker acclimation of less magnitude occurred in Tiarella leaves over the springâsummer light transition; this was followed by further acclimation to the stronger autumn irradiance. 4. â Viola âs greater range of photosynthetic acclimation was associated with shifts in allocation between Rubisco and chlorophyll, as well as changes in total leaf nitrogen (N) concentration and leaf mass per area (LMA). In contrast, Tiarella âs narrow range of acclimation was associated solely with changes in allocation to Rubisco versus chlorophyll, with no changes in total leaf N or LMA. 5. âSeasonal changes in leaf chemistry and structure in Viola suggest a stepwise ontogeny whereby individual leaves are able to function as âsun leavesâ for 3â5Â weeks in the spring, and then as âshade leavesâ for up to 3Â months in the summer. 6. âWhole-plant biomass accumulation showed that all three species accumulated most of their annual biomass increment during periods of direct irradiance. These results demonstrate the importance of brief seasonal periods of strong irradiance to the growth of deciduous forest herbs, even shade-tolerant, summer and evergreen species.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75494/1/j.0269-8463.2001.00584.x.pd
- âŠ